Electric lock.



T. c. NIXON. ELECTRIC LOOK.

APPLIOATIOI FILED FEB. 19, 190B.

926,890, Patented July 6, 1909.

ffl y O m. l. M an. mu-LM wmvw. u c v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. NIXON, O1 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC LOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. NIXON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricLocks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in electriclooks.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient lockin which the operation of the bolt, at least in one direction, may becontrolled from a distance by the use of an electric current andsuitable electric apparatus. In the two forms of my invention which Ihave illustrated in the drawings, the bolt in one case is manuallyretracted as by a key and in the other auto matically by a spring, andthe shooting of the bolt to the locked position is controlled by theelectro magnet. The features of construction by which I attain theseobjects form the subject matter of my invention, a description of whichwill appear in the course of this specification and the essentialfeatures of which will appear more definitely in the appended. claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side view of the preferred form of myinvention with one of the sides of the lock partly broken away to revealthe operating parts within the case. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectiontaken on lines 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bolt.Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electric circuit. Fig. 5is a side view of a modified form with one side of the case removed, andFig. 6 is a horizontal section taken in line 66, Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1 to 1, inclusive, 10 represents the case of the lock and 11the removable sides, which are secured to the case by screws 12-. Thelock is usually secured in the door jamb or casing A, and the keeper 13,is secured in the edge of the door B. This is, however, immaterial, asthe position of the parts may be reversed if so desired. Within the case10 is a bolt 1.4, which is guided to slide in the case, as for instanceby means of lugs 15 upon the sides 11, that extend into guide slots 16,formed in the sides of the bolt. The bolt contains a head 17 which isarranged to en- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19, 1908.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Serial No. 416,642.

bolt has two lugs 18 which project laterally from the end wall 19 andbear upon the sides 11 of the case while the side walls 20 of the boltbear against shoulders 21 that surround the lugs 15.

The bolt is shot to its locked position by suitable mechanism here shownas a spring 22 which in the preferred form is a flat spring, one end ofwhich is riveted to the casing and the other end of which engages thebolt by means of a pin 23 secured in the bolt and perforated ears 24upon the spring. The tension of the spring is exerted to throw the bolttoward the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, and into engagement with thekeeper 13. To retract the bolt, a key 0 is employed the tongue of whichis arranged to strike the end wall 19 of the bolt and draw the bolt backout of its engagement with the keeper.

The bolt is held in its retracted position against the tension of thespring by a movable stop here shown as an armature 25 of an electromagnet 26. As shown the armature 25, bears a shoulder in the form of apin 27 which, when the electro magnet is denergized, lies in the path oftravel of the bolt and engages the same so as to effectually reventmovement thereof until the pin is wit idrawn from such position. Aspring 28, preferably constructed of phosphor bronze, is secured to thearmature and bears upon one of the cores of the electromagnet thusyieldingly holding the armature away from the cores, and simultaneouslyholding the in 27 in engagement with the bolt 14-. f now an electriccurrent be sent through the magnet the armature will be drawn toward thecores against the action of the spring 22 thereby disengaging the pin 27from the bolt and permitting the spring 22 to shoot the bolt into thekeeper. As soon as the magnet is deenergized the armature is swung down,the pin contacting with the upper side of the bolt 14. The magnet issupported on the case in any suitable manner and is connected to bindingposts 26 from which the conducting wires 26 lead to a push button orswitch 28, a battery 29 being interposed in the circuit at any suitablepoint. The armature is pivoted upon the case by pins 25 one of which isseated in a socket 25 in the front wall of the case and the other ofwhich is seated in a socket in a screw 25 The switch or push button 28is located at some convenient place in the building and when it isdesired to lock the door the button is pressed to close the circuit,whereby the electro-magnet will be energized and the armature swung outof contact with the bolt to release the same, thus permitting the springto shoot the bolt into engagement with the keeper. The bolt can beretracted only by use of the key and I prefer to employ a key hole uponthe inner side only so that the position and existence of the lock maynot be detected from without.

The modified form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is principally intended foruse in connection with doors of theaters, public halls, etc, where thedesideratum is to have the doors locked, but in case of fire or otherdisturbance, that all or any number of the same be immediately andsimultaneously unlocked from a common point. In this form the bolt isretracted by a spring 30 which engages a washer 31 secured upon theupper end of the bolt. In this form the spring is substituted for thekey in the preferred form, as it is the desideratum in this particularform that the bolt be retracted automatically whenever the magnet isdeenergized. The magnet 32 is interposed in an electric circuitpreferably the electric light circuit of the building, and a resistancecoil 33 and switch 34 are interposed in the circuit. In this form ofdevice a closed circuit is maintained to hold the bolt in its lockedposition and whenever said circuit is broken and the magnet denergized,the bolt is immediately retracted by the spring. As shown, the armature35 is made of two pieces hinged together at their meeting edges, withtheir free ends sliding in guide slots 36 formed upon the inner walls ofthe case. The hinged ends of the armature are connected to the stem ofthe bolt, as for instance by confining them between the washer 31 and awasher 37, nuts 38 being provided to secure the washer 37 in place. Toprevent the armature from becoming magnetized blocks of bone 39 areinserted in the ends of the cores of the magnet, which prevent thearmature from coming in actual contact with the cores. It will bereadily understood that by closing the circuit the magnet will beenergized, the armature will be attracted by the magnets and the boltforced down against the action of the spring and the bolt will bemaintained in such position so long as the magnet remains energized. Ifnow for any. reason it is desired that the door be unlocked the switch34 is thrown, thereby breaking the circuit, and denergizing the magnet.The spring 30 will instantly retract the bolt and allow the door to beopened.

I am aware that various other alterations and modifications of thisdevice are possible without departing from the spirit of my invention,and I do not therefore desire to limit myself to the exact constructionshown and described.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a slidingbolt, and a spring for shooting said bolt into locked position, of anelectrically operated magnet, having means for resisting the action ofthe spring.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bolt, anda spring for shooting said bolt into locked position of an electromagnet, having an armature which is arranged. to resist movement of thebolt except when said magnet is energized.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bolt andva spring for shooting the bolt into locked position of means forresisting movement of the bolt and a suitably controlled electromagnetarranged to actuate said resisting means to release the bolt therefrom.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bolt, anda spring for shooting said bolt into locked position of an armaturehaving a shoulder engaging said bolt to resist the action of the spring,a spring tending to maintain said shoulder in engagement with the bolt,and a suitably controlled magnet operating to attract the armature andmove the shoulder out of engagement with the bolt.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bolt, anda spring for shooting said bolt into locked position, of an armaturehaving a shoulder engaging the bolt to hold. it in its unlockedposition, a suitably operated electro magnet, for drawing said armatureout of engagement with the bolt and a spring between the armature andmagnet arranged to restore the armature into operative relation with.respect to the bolt.

6. In a device of the class described the combination with a bolt; and aspring for shooting said bolt into locked position, said bolt beingformed with an integral member adapted for engagement with a suitablekey, whereby the bolt may be retracted from such locked position, of asuitably controlled electro-magnet having an armature operating toresist movement of the bolt toward its locked position except when saidmagnet is energized.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bolthaving an integral member adapted for engagement with a suiting walladapted for engagement with a suit- 0 able key, by means of which thebolt may be erating upon the armature to Withdraw the retracted from itslocked position, and a stop from the bolt.

spring for shooting said bolt into locked position, of a swinging stopfor said bolt, in-

eluding an armature, a spring operating to hold said stop in engagementwith the bolt and a suitably controlled eleetro magnet op- THOMAS C.NIXON.

Witnesses:

OLIVER F. BURNETT, CHARLES O. SHERVEY.

